Community Forums

LSC9901 · 03-08-2017, 07:12 PM

Our son is considering making a move from a TT to either a class C or a class A. They have a 6 year old daughter so sleeping space is an issue. All the class C's we've been able to find are either to old and junk or to expensive. The C would be ideal because of the over the cab bed. Class A's have not been an option due to the lack of permanent bedding. Yes the sofa and the dinette can convert but they are looking for something that doesn't need to be all taken apart just to have a place to sit and eat or to watch TV.

Somewhere out there someone has built some sort of semi permanent bed. Something over the 2 front seats or some platform that might be lowered over the dinette. I've search out the internet but nothing that seems to fit the bill. Saw a couple on Pinterest but with no instruction on how to do it.

Does anyone have any info that'll help us to create the needed semi permanent sleeping space ??

Thanks

BFlinn181 · 03-08-2017, 07:53 PM

A number of smaller Class A RVs have a drop down bed over the driver and passenger's seat. Many sofa beds, especially the jack knife type, fold out pretty quickly. A kid would enjoy a sleeping bag, so bed doesn't take long to prepare for the night or restore in the morning.

You could also try a hammock that could be strung up for the child at night.

afrohman · 03-08-2017, 08:33 PM

I added this to our Class A. Its made up of osb with 2x2 on either side of the heavy duty closet rods attached with heavy duty hangers in the front and vinyl coated wire with a clasp and an eyelet attached to the upper cabinets. I also added a vertical brace in the middle for added safety.
We didn't use the captains chairs when camping and we leave this bed up the whole time we are camping then disassemble to travel home. It only takes a few minutes.

LSC9901 · 03-09-2017, 11:09 AM

Thanks Afrohman. These are the ideas I am looking for. My question at this point is storage. Where do you keep it when traveling ??

The built in overhead bed would be great ..... if you could find one.Sofa beds and dinettes are not an option. They require a set up and take down on a daily basis. They do not want nor are they interested in that plan.

I have seen some options where they build a bed over the dinette but cannot find any plans for that type of idea.

tderonne · 03-09-2017, 12:16 PM

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/tran...ed-206601.html

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/conv...ks-149156.html

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/custom-bunk-277945.html

There's been 1 or 2 more examples posted here at irv2 over the years, found these first.

Carefree · 03-09-2017, 12:49 PM

The Thor Palazzo has a drop down bed over the driver's cabin. Just don't blame me when the slide mechanism gets stuck. I personally hate Thor (used to own one and it constantly broke down).

LSC9901 · 03-09-2017, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carefree

The Thor Palazzo has a drop down bed over the driver's cabin. Just don't blame me when the slide mechanism gets stuck. I personally hate Thor (used to own one and it constantly broke down).

Which leads back to availability and cost. RV trader lists 2 of them in the nation !! One for $80K and one for $100K. My son is trying to do this for much less.

Allen_C · 03-09-2017, 02:43 PM

Thor ACE, Fleetwood Flair and Jayco Alante all have over cab drop down bunks and sizes from about 27'-35' and prices from $75k-100k new. Some of these can also be found barely used at about 10-20% discounts.

If the DIY path is desired, others have provided good info above. Good luck to your son and family!

afrohman · 03-09-2017, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Thanks Afrohman. These are the ideas I am looking for. My question at this point is storage. Where do you keep it when traveling ??

The built in overhead bed would be great ..... if you could find one.Sofa beds and dinettes are not an option. They require a set up and take down on a daily basis. They do not want nor are they interested in that plan.

I have seen some options where they build a bed over the dinette but cannot find any plans for that type of idea.

I store it in the master bedroom when traveling. As I said I can set it up in a few minutes and leave it up the whole time we are camping, We used to have the dining booth that converted into a bed. We took it out for a table and chairs and we hated putting it up and down each day to eat and sleep so I came up with this idea. All total including a twin mattress from WalMart I think I had less than $150.00 in it.
Let me know if there is anything I can help with.

Adam

BFlinn181 · 03-09-2017, 02:53 PM

Do a Google search for "RV with drop down bed" and you'll finds lots of choices. My FIL had a '76 Winnebago Brave that had a drop down bed over the driver's seat.

Here's a listing:

https://www.rvtrader.com/New-And-Use...sc&radius=150&

Also if you use the search box in the upper right of this page and search for "drop down bed" you'll find many threads about RVs with this feature, something you could use to search for models so equipped. Many of the problems with these beds are powered mechanisms by Lippert. Many drop down beds don't use power, just springs which have less issues than the Lippert system, IMHO.